Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

57

The Evolution of the
U.S. National Air Insignia: 1861–PresentJohn H. Gámez

Introduction
The dream of flight is as old as civilization itself. Sumeria and Egypt had
mythologies replete with flying gods. The Old Testament is filled with verses
that some have interpreted as non-technical descriptions of ancient aircraft.
Greek mythology tells of Daedalus and his son Icarus who fashioned wings ofwood, wax, and feathers. And the Judeo-Christian culture conceived of angels as semi-divine humans with wings of birds. On the practical side, theChinese invented the rocket centuries ago. Those early rockets could notcarry a man—or, for that matter, an effective warhead—their main use was infrightening an enemy. The concept of human flight originated with Leonardo
da Vinci. Not only a great artist, he was a skilled engineer with a great imagination who designed weapons of war, a pair of man-powered wings, and thefirst crude helicopter.
On 15 October 1783 the brothers Montgolfier sent Jean François Pilatrede Rozier aloft in a balloon. As the first human to break the bonds of Earth,
he became the world’s first aeronaut. Ballooning itself was known as aerostation.1
That first manned balloon (or aerostat) carried the first national air markings(Plate 1). Contemporary paintings, drawings, and models depicted the balloon in blue and gold, the colors of the French royal arms. The balloon was
not only emblazoned with several fleurs-de-lis, but it also bore at least four sun
badges, the emblem of Louis XIV. Nearly continual experimentation in bal1

Donald Dale Jackson, The Aeronauts (Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1981),
16-20.

Raven, Vol. 7, 2000, pp. 57-111 ISSN 1071-0043 ©2000 NAVA

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looning through the rest of the 18th century and into the early 20th century
would involve balloons carrying national flags.
These early experiments in flight eventually led to the aircraft of today.
Along the way, air forces found that their aircraft needed to be identified.
Early on, cloth flags were found impractical and thus began the story of theemblem known as the “National Air Insignia” of United States military aircraft. For warriors of the air, the National Air Insignia serves the same function as flags and standards do for the infantry. And like other flags, it has along and proud history, told here in complete form for the first time.

The Birth of Military Aviation
As always, mankind can turn any great invention into a weapon of war. Joseph Montgolfier soon persuaded the French to use his balloon for militaryobservation. In April 1794, less than six months after the first flight, theFrench army organized the world’s first air force, the 25-man Compagnie d’Aerostatiers and built the first military aircraft L’Entreprenant (The Enterprise).
On 26 June 1794 L’ Entreprenant went into action. Not only did this aerostat
provide valuable intelligence, it frightened the opposing Austrian forces aswell.2
Over 50 years later, in June of 1849, the Austrian army experimented
with aerial bombardment. Due to an unforeseen shift in the wind, the attempt proved a disaster.3
The American Civil War is often called the first modern war. In addition
to its many technical and tactical innovations, it was the first war in which
both sides used balloons for aerial observation. Before the Civil War, a number of aeronauts operated balloons in the U.S., but only a few seem to haveconsidered the possibility of military aerial observation. It was Thaddeus S.
C. Lowe who first approached President Abraham Lincoln with plans for theformation of a balloon corps operating to report the disposition of the enemy
via telegraph. Lincoln, impressed, appointed Lowe chief of the new Aeronautical Division.
American military ballooning debuted at the First Battle of Bull Run on
21 May 1861. Although Federal forces had broken and began to retreat,2
Ibid., 76-81.
3Anabel Dean, Up, Up, and Away: The Story of Ballooning (Philadelphia: Westminster
Press, 1980), 61.

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

Plate 1: Early Balloon Markings

Montgolfier balloon. Gas bag B with Au ornaments.

Left: Typical Union balloon with flag attached to the gondola, 1861–1863.
Right: Typical painted gondolas.

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John H. Gámez

Lowe reported that the rebels were not in pursuit. Lowe, in his tethered balloon Enterprise, made history when he delivered the first aerial reports by electric telegraph.
At its greatest strength, the Aeronautical Division operated seven moreballoons: the Constitution, Eagle, Excelsior, Intrepid, Union, United States, andWashington.4 The division also operated the world’s first aircraft carriers. The
first was the Union transport Fanny, which launched balloons on 31 July 1861.
The other was the converted collier G. W. Custis. Although balloons operated successfully and provided valuable intelligence, the lack of support fromhigher echelons caused the eventual collapse of the Balloon Division in Juneof 1863. The balloons appear to have been gray with their gondolas painted
in the colors of the Union flag or with the insignia of the American eagle: thefirst U.S. aircraft markings (Plate 1).5
On the opposing side, in spite of the very effective Union naval blockade
the Confederate “Air Force” managed to launch at least three balloons. Two
are supposed to have been made from the silk dresses donated by patriotic
Southern Belles. There is no description of any markings used by the Confederate balloons.
Despite the obvious advantages of aerial observation, the U.S. Army had
no balloons after the Civil War until Brigadier General Adolphus W. Greely
established a balloon section in 1892. During the Spanish-American War, theentire balloon force (one balloon!) was moved down to Cuba and served with
distinction until it was withdrawn due to battle damage. The balloon, theSantiago, does not appear to have a painted gondola, but may have been decorated with two American flags.6 In 1899 the Balloon Section was disbanded
until August of 1908, when the U.S. Army’s Signal Corps acquired anotherballoon. This time it was a self-propelled dirigible, U.S. Military I, an all-grayballoon devoid of markings, national or otherwise.
In the 1890s, many inventors were trying to build a workable heavierthan-air flying machine, and in 1903 the Wright Brothers achieved the firstpowered manned flights. Although the Wrights offered this achievement to
the Army, it was wary of this new technology. Not until 1 August 1907 did
the Signal Corps establish the Aeronautical Division, and received its first4

Lennart Ege, Balloons and Airships (New York: MacMillan, 1974), English ed. Kenneth Munson, trans. Erik Hildesheim, ill. Otto Frello, 114.
5
Jackson, 83, 87.
6Ege, 114.

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aircraft in September of 1907—a Wright Military Flier. Designated AeroplaneNo. 1, Heavier-Than-Air Division, United States Aerial Fleet, the aircraft was
repeatedly flown, crashed, and rebuilt. On 4 May 1911 it was rebuilt andrestored for the last time and placed in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution.7 It carried the Signal Corps badge on the tail (Plate 2), identifying theplane as property of the Signal Corps rather than serving as a national marking.8
The U.S. Navy lagged in employing this new technological wonder. But
after 22 October 1910, when naval officers began inspections of aircraft, naval
air technology accelerated. On 14 November 1910, Eugene Ely made thefirst flight from the deck of a warship. Then on 18 January 1911, Ely landed
an aeroplane on the deck of a ship and took off less than an hour later.
While the Wrights were impressing the Army aviators, Glenn Curtiss invented “hydroaeroplanes” (which eventually came to be called “seaplanes” and“flying boats”). The first hydroaeroplane flight took place on 26 January 1911.
Curtiss’s next innovation was retractable landing gear for his hydroaeroplane,
which he called the “Triad” because it could operate on land, sea, or air.
Despite the Curtiss innovations, the Navy bought a Wright B-1 fittedwith pontoons and wheels. The tails were marked with the initials “U.S.N.”in black. The aircraft themselves were covered with a white fabric and painted
with a clear varnish known as airplane dope, which gave the aircraft a yellowish to buff color. Some aircraft were painted gray, with the “U.S.N.” marking
in white (Plate 2).9 Marine Corps aviation began on 6 January 1914 with theassignment of two aircraft. The planes were marked like their Navy counterparts, but with the initials “U.S.M.C.” (Plate 2).10

Putting Aviation to the Test
In the Mexican Revolution, naval aviation became the nation’s first air arm tosee operational duty. Overthrow after overthrow eventually found Mexico
with a new president, Victoriano Huerta, in 1913. He presided over one of
the cruelest regimes Mexico had ever seen. Because the constant state of revo7

Alfred Goldberg, ed., A History of the United States Air Force: 1907-1957 (Princeton,
New Jersey: D. Van Nostrand, 1957), 2-6.
8
Claudia M. Oakes and Kathleen L. Brooks-Pazmany, Aircraft of the National Air
and Space Museum, 3rd ed. (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institute Press, 1985).
9
Rear Admiral George Van Duers, Wings of the Fleet (Annapolis, Maryland: U.S.
Naval Institute Press, 1966), 51, 60.
10Ibid., 102.

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John H. Gámez

Plate 2: Early U.S. Aircraft Markings

W/O

U.S. Army Signal Corps Aeronautical Division Wright Military Flier, 1907.

Early tail markings for U.S. Navy, 1911, and U.S. Marine Corps, 1914, airplanes.

Above: US Naval aircraft operational in Mexico
displayed the US Flag from each wing tip and a B
anchor on the tail.
Left: Naval Militia air insignia displayed the sameB anchor on a W circle bordered B.

Airplane and markings of the 1st Aero Squadron.
Left: R star; Right: variant, R star on W

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

63

lution threatened American investments in Mexico, U.S. President Woodrow
Wilson decided that the United States should intervene in Mexican affairs.
Wilson dispatched an American warship to the port city of Tampico andseveral Marines went ashore in a restricted area. They were promptly arrested
but later released with an apology. This was not enough for the Americancommander, who demanded a 21-gun salute to the American flag. President
Huerta flatly refused. President Wilson replied by sending the American fleet
into the Gulf of Mexico to seize the port city of Vera Cruz. Along with theships came the Navy’s force of aeroplanes. The plan backfired. The U.S.
hoped that the occupation would cause the Mexican people to overthrow
Huerta, but instead they rallied behind their president. Mobs took over American-owned businesses in the capital. Huerta then threatened to invade Texas,
arm American blacks, and raise the Mexican flag over Washington.11
The performance of naval aviation was, at best, ineffectual. But because
Mexico also had an aviation capability, the American aircraft needed identifying marks. No one had yet considered a national insignia for aircraft. Instead,a small American flag was placed at the ends of the wings.12 The tail markings
were also changed. Each aircraft was marked with a large blue anchor on therudder, similar to the anchor emblazoned on naval battalion flags (Plate 2).
The anchor insignia may also have been painted on the underside of the wings.13
After operations in Vera Cruz, photographs of naval aircraft seem to show thatthe use of flags and anchor insignia were soon discontinued and the “U.S.N.”
tail marking re-established.
The Navy soon took steps to establish an air arm for the Naval Militia—
the predecessor of the Naval Reserve. Aircraft of the Naval Militia appear tohave placed the anchor insignia inside a circle (Plate 2), similar to the distinguishing insignia of the Naval Militia—a blue anchor on a white diamondsurrounded by a narrow blue border. This insignia appears to have been useduntil 1916 or 1917.14

11Henry Bamford Parkes, A History of Mexico (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1969),
342-346.
12
Van Duers, 108, 110.
13Peter M. Bowers. “The U.S. National Insignia”, Historical Associates (n.d.). Photocopy of a magazine article from the “Insignia” file at the Office of History, San
Antonio Air Logistics Center, Kelly AFB, Texas.
14
Henry Woodhouse, Woodhouse’s Textbook of Naval Aeronautics, 1917, introduction
by Clark G. Reynolds (Annapolis, Maryland: U.S. Naval Institute Press, 1991),
155-169.

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John H. Gámez

The next test for military aviation also followed the Mexican Revolution.
In 1916 rebel general Pancho Villa suffered a series of military defeats. Low
on supplies, he took to raiding the border town of Columbus, New Mexico,
which led to virtual warfare on the sparsely populated U.S.-Mexico border.
The War Department, responding to public outrage over the continuing violations of American soil, sent Brigadier General John J. Pershing on a punitive expedition to capture Pancho Villa—dead or alive! Along with his army
came the men and machines of the 1st Aero Squadron. The squadron had
begun operations on 15 March 1915 with eight aircraft. Through a series oferrors and circumstances that bordered on the comical, the 1st ended up withjust two functional aircraft. The squadron later received new aircraft, butceased to be an effective fighting force.
As in Vera Cruz, the 1st bore no official national markings, but adopted a
distinctive insignia for its aircraft. The squadron painted red stars, either alone
or on a white roundel (a colored disk), on the rudders of its JN-3 and R-4
aircraft (Plate 2), but this marking was short-lived. When the Chief Signal
Officer of the Army learned of the markings, he ordered that all “mutilation of
government property be stopped immediately”.15 A photograph of Army aircraft taken in the spring of 1917 shows that those aircraft had no markingsother than identification numbers.16

World War I
The Great War, the “War to End All Wars”, brought many technical innovations—among them faster, deadlier aircraft and the means to defend against
them. Early aviators in that war considered themselves “knights of the air”, infact, they would often wave or salute as they passed each other on their way toscout the enemy side. This was the norm until one cunning pilot armed
himself and shot at his airborne adversaries. The beginning of aerial warfare
led to the development of national insignias. Some years before the war, The
Hague Committee considered the possible need for national air insignia, but
no action was taken.17 Years later the air insignia would be considered theaviation equivalent of the national flag, and aircraft without insignia would beconsidered outlaws.18
15
Jeffrey P. Rhodes, “Stars on the Wing” Air Force Magazine, June 1987, 79-83.
16

Lieutenant Colonel Nick P. Apple and Lieutenant Colonel Gene Gurney, The Air
Force Museum (New York: Crown Publishers, 1975), 49.
17
Bruce Robertson, Aircraft Camouflage and Markings: 1907-1954 (Falbrook, California: Aero Publishers, 1966), 6th edition, 9-10.
18
Robert F. Dorr, Fighting Colors: Glory Days of U.S. Aircraft Markings (Osceola,
Wisconsin: Motorbooks International, 1990), 10.

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

Plate 3: World War I Roundels

U.S. National Air Insignia, 1917. Left: roundel, from center R/W/B.
Right upper: tail markings forward to aft, B-W-R.
Lower: placement of roundels on wings.

American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) air insignia, 1918.
Left: roundel, from center W/B/R.
Right upper: tail markings forward to aft, R-W-B.
Lower: placement of roundels on wings.

U.S. Navy Flying Boats.

8th Aero Squadron badge.

AEF roundel with whiteouter ring.

U.S. Marine Corps
variant.

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John H. Gámez

The French introduced the tricolored roundel as well as tail stripes (theaviation roundel would become the most common form of national aircraft
insignia in the world). After trying several unsatisfactory markings, the British adopted the French tail stripes and reversed the colors of the roundel.
As war raged in Europe, America remained neutral until 1917, when
General Pershing once again led the nation’s armed forces into action. Arriving in Europe, he organized the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF). In
preparation, the Army and Navy air services adopted a distinctive nationalroundel, designed by Private Roland S. Knolson of the 1st Aero Company of
the New York National Guard. Inspired by the Allied air roundels, he started
with the star from the American flag and added a red dot from the color of the
stripes. On 4 May 1917, the Aeronautical Division of the Signal Corps requested that this design be adopted for the air services by the recently appointed Joint Army and Navy Board on Aeronautical Cognizance. On 17
May 1917 the Army and Navy air services officially adopted the new insignia.19
On 19 May 1917, General Order No. 299, signed by Secretary of theNavy Josephus Daniels, called for the “application of a distinguishing national
insignia for all United States Government aircraft …” The insignia consistedof a blue roundel charged with a white five-pointed star of equal diameter. At
the center was a red disk positioned entirely within the star. The new specifications also called for tail stripes in the national colors, similar to the Allied
stripes but in the reverse order. The stripes, confined to the rudder, were blue,
white, and red, from forward to aft (Plate 3). Regulations set the placement of
the insignia on the port and starboard positions of the wings on the upper andlower sides. There were also specifications for the placement of the insignia
and tail stripes on balloons.20 On 6 June 1917, the U.S. Government informed
the French Under-Secretary of State that the air services of the Army andNavy had adopted a new national air insignia.21
Once in Europe, the inexperienced American aviators would have to overcome many obstacles, the least expected of these would be identification. Some
French pilots had noted that from a distance the star insignia on the American
19

Robert D. Archer, The Official Monogram U.S. Army Air Service & Air Corps Aircraft Color Guide (Sturbridge, Massachusetts: Monogram Aviation Publications,
1995), 113.
20
United States Navy Dept. General Order No. 299: Distinguishing Insignia for UnitedStates Aircraft (Washington, D.C.: 19 May 1917).
21
Archer, 115.

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

67

trainers tended to resemble the German white cross insignia.22 Colonel William S. “Billy” Mitchell suggested that for commonality with the Allies, U.S.
aerial forces adopt a tricolored roundel of white, blue, and red, from the center to the outside. Adopted on 8 February 1918, the new insignia became
known as the AEF roundel.23 It happened to match closely the roundel usedby the Russian Imperial Air Service. The roundels, which had been placednear the aircraft centerline, were now at mid-wing or near the wing tips. Also,
the order of the tail stripes was reversed to conform to the French and British
designs (Plate 3).24
The new system was not foolproof. European manufacturers of American combat aircraft often applied the new markings incorrectly. A Frenchplane maker painted the rudder stripes with blue and red from forward to aft
to match the American roundel. A quick application of paint corrected thaterror. Because the British and Italian air forces placed a roundel on the fuselage sides of their aircraft, manufacturers from those countries painted roundels on the sides of aircraft for delivery to the Americans. Again, paint changed
the Italian or British roundels into an AEF roundel.
While it was not standard for Army aircraft to place a roundel on thefuselage, Navy flying boats painted the roundel on each side of the hull.25
There were other variations of the placement of the roundels or of the roundelitself. On some biplanes the roundels were painted on the lower side of theupper wing. On others they were painted on the lower side of the lower wing
(Plate 4). In the British fashion, the roundels on aircraft with dark green andbrown camouflage had a narrow white ring added to the outer edge of the
AEF roundel. The Marine Corps adopted a variation of the roundel to give it
a Marine character, adding the eagle and anchor from the Marine Corps badge.
This variant was placed on the sides of the fuselage only.26 The 8th Aero Squad-

22

Gordon Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers, United States Military Aircraft Since
1908 (London: Putnam, 1989), 30.
23
Enzo Angelucci, The American Fighter (New York: Orion Books, 1985), 19.
24
Swanborough and Bowers, 31. Interestingly, this eventually amounted to an evenexchange of markings. The Soviet Union would adopt the red star as its national air
insignia. Decades later the U.S. armed forces would organize combat training units
that simulated Soviet weapons and tactics. Known as “Aggressor” forces, theseunits would adopt the red star as their distinguishing insignia. Annual air combat
exercises in the Nevada desert became known as “Red Flag”.
25
Robertson, 54.
26
Ibid. This insignia was designed by Major Alfred A. Cunningham, U.S.M.C.,
commander of Marine aviation in Europe during World War I.

68John H. Gámez

Plate 4: World War I Markings

Arrows indicate position of national roundels on aircraft. Above: Handly/Page Bomber
with large wingspan. Below: small fighter. These drawings are not to the same scale.

R
B
W

First Lieutenant Eddie Rickenbacker’s Nieuport 28C.1.

Captain Eddie Rickenbacker’s SPAD S.VII. Wheel hub R/W/B.

1st Aero Squadron badge variants.

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

69

ron superimposed an eagle and Liberty Bell on the roundel for use as its squadron badge.27 Some flying boats were marked with a 13-star U.S. flag (Plate3).28 Manned observation balloons were also required to bear the national
marking. Before the war tethered observation balloons displayed the U.S. flagat the stern.29
Perhaps the most unusual placement of the roundel was on the Nieuport
28C.1 flown by then-First Lieutenant Eddie Rickenbacker. The circular engine cowling of his aircraft was painted with white, blue, and red stripes. Whenviewed head-on, the stripes looked like the AEF roundel (Plate 4).30 Normally, the wheel hubs of the landing gear were painted a solid color or in a
distinctive squadron pattern. The SPAD S.VII flown by a newly promoted
Captain Rickenbacker had wheel hubs painted with the old star-and-disk roundel (Plate 4).31 And at least one aircraft had wheel hubs painted with the AEF
roundel.32
Early on, the Germans were confused about the actual American marking. While initial reports had the Americans using the prewar star and diskroundel, that marking was actually only used stateside; the AEF roundel wasfor use in Europe. When the U.S. 1st Aero Squadron began flying over theGerman lines, the Germans mistook the U.S. flag painted on the sides of theiraircraft as the national marking. The flag was actually the badge of the 1st
Aero Squadron (Plate 4).33 The AEF roundel also became the shoulder patch
for U.S. aviation troops in Europe.34 For some units the AEF roundel was
only part of the design on their patch.35

27
Ibid.
28
Woodhouse, 277.
29
Ibid., 219.
30

Glencoe Models: Nieuport 28C.1. One of six paint schemes for this model aircraft. Because aviation hobbyists demand accuracy in the models that they build,model makers go to great lengths to provide authentic markings for any given
aircraft; this can be considered a reliable source of information.
31
Len Cacutt, ed., Classics of the Air: An Illustrated History of the Development ofMilitary Planes from 1913-1935 (New York: Exeter Books, 1988), 27.
32
Bruce Robertson, ed., United States Army and Air Force Fighters: 1916-1961(Letchworth, England: Harleyford Publications, 1961), 12.
33
Robertson, Aircraft Camouflage and Markings, 54
34
J. Duncan Campbell, Aviation Badges and Insignia of the United States Army: 19131946 (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Triangle Press, 1977), 49-50.
35
Jack Britton and George Washington, Jr., U.S. Military Shoulder Patches of theUnited States Armed Forces, 5th ed. (Tulsa, Oklahoma: M.C.N. Press, 1990), 49.

70John H. Gámez

Plate 5: Between the Wars

R/W/B/W

U.S. national roundel with W outer ring.
RWB

Experimental national markings recommended by Report 1305.
B

R-W x 13

R-W x 13

U.S. Army tail stripes, 1926–1942
W

U.S. Navy tail stripes, Jan.–May 1942

B

B

Rudder Hinge

RWRWR

R

U.S. Coast Guard tail stripes,
1927–1936

U.S. Coast Guard tail stripes,
1936–1941

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

71

Coast Guard aviation was born during the First World War. However,
because its planes were limited to maritime patrol in home waters, they did
not display the AEF roundel. Rather, since during wartime the Coast Guard
falls under naval administration, it used U.S. Navy markings.36

Between the Wars
Armistice brought the end of the AEF roundel. On 19 August 1919, the starroundel and the pre-war tail stripes were re-authorized, although there was norush to change back to the old insignia. Often this was done when a wingreceived a new fabric covering, which sometimes resulted in aircraft displaying an old and new insignia on different wings. Changeover of national markings was to be completed by 1 January 1920.37 The roundels would be placed
toward the wingtips rather than towards the centerline. On Marine Corps
aircraft, the globe was restored to the Marine Corps badge. On aircraft imported from Britain, the British roundels were over-painted with the star roundel, but retained the narrow white ring around the roundel (Plate 5).38
Early in 1920, the Army ran tests on the distinguishability of the American roundel, finding that patriotism, rather than science, had designed thenational insignia. Tests showed that the insignia became less distinct as distance increased. The Army tested various geometric forms, but in the end apanel recommended three bars of red, white, and blue running forward to aft,painted on the starboard side of the upper wing and lower wing. This design
would be more recognizable at a great distance (Plate 5) and distinct from anyother nation’s air insignia. However, due to budget cuts, the existing insignia
was retained. But the findings of Report 1305 would not be forgotten; 23
years later they would later influence the design and placement of the national
air insignia.39
During the inter-war years, the Navy operated a zeppelin, three large dirigibles, and a number of smaller airships and balloons. The zeppelin Los Angeles bore three national air insignias, one below and one on each side. The
lower insignia had one point of the star oriented forward. The lower andupper rudders were painted with the American rudder stripes. The Americanbuilt dirigible Shenandoah was similarly marked, but with the stars on the side
36

United States, Department of the Navy, Naval Historical Center, U.S. Naval Aircraft Markings (1994), 1.
37
Angelucci, 20.
38
Ibid. and Archer, 174.
39
Archer, 121, 129-132.

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John H. Gámez

insignias pointing toward the nose. The airships USS Akron and USS Macon(the only aircraft ever to bear the “USS” designation) were marked like the Los
Angeles. The small airship ZMC-2, in service from 1929-1940, did not bear
the national air insignia, but was marked “U.S. NAVY” on both sides. All of
its rear control surfaces bore the American tail stripes (Plate 6). At the very
end it flew a small American flag.40 The markings on Army airships were slightly
different from the Navy’s. The national air insignia was placed only at the top
and bottom of each airship. On spherical balloons the insignia was placed on
opposite sides, one placed 45˚ above the horizontal plane, the other 45˚ below. On observation balloons, the insignia was placed only at the bottom(Plate 6).41
On 10 August 1926 Charles N. Monteiff, chief engineer for the Boeing
Airplane Company, suggested that military aircraft adopt new rudder stripes.
Because the stripes used at the time formed the French flag, he felt that adesign that resembled the U.S. flag would be more appropriate. After carefulconsideration, the Secretary of War approved the design on 3 November 1926,
and the Army formally adopted it on 24 January 1927. The new design had ablue vertical stripe at the rudderpost equal to 1/3 of the rudder’s surface. The
remaining area was divided horizontally into thirteen red and white stripes(Plate 5).42
The end of the Great War also ended Coast Guard aviation until it was
resurrected to help enforce Prohibition, and on 26 March 1926 Congress approved the purchase of seaplanes. In 1927, Coast Guard aviation was again
operational, and along with it came a new national marking. Initially, theentire vertical control surface was painted with three equal vertical stripes ofred, white, and blue, forward to aft. Then in 1936 Coast Guard tail marking
changed again. Reminiscent of the adoption of the Revenue Cutter Ensign in
1799, the top third of the rudder was painted blue while the remaining twothirds was divided into five equal vertical stripes of red and white (Plate 5).43
On 31 January 1931, citing tactical considerations, the Navy removed
the vertical tail stripes from some aircraft, replacing the rudder stripes withsquadron colors and markings. The tail stripes remained on aircraft of the40

William J. White, Airships of the Future (New York: Sterling Publishing, 1976),
18, 41, 43, 53, 55, 135.
41
Archer, 233.
42
Ibid., 134-135.
43
William T. Larkins, U.S. Navy Aircraft: 1921-1941 (Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffler
Military/Aviation History, 1995), 363.

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

Plate 6: Airships, Blimps, and Balloons
Arrows indicate position of U.S. National Roundel.

U.S. Navy airship bearing three U.S. roundels and rudder stripes on
all four rear control surfaces.

U.S. Army Airship bearing two U.S. roundels andrudder stripes on all four rear control surfaces.

Observation balloon.

Spherical balloon

U.S. Navy patrol blimp, World War II. N letters/Ag background.

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Marine Corps and on certain naval aircraft and airships.44
The 1930s saw the rise of aggressive totalitarian regimes in Europe andAsia; America again responded by declaring neutrality. Although the U.S. wasneutral in policy, its actions were not. It banned the export of strategic materials to Japan and began providing arms to Britain, ordering the U.S. Navy toescort supply convoys crossing the Atlantic. Despite its declared neutrality,
the U.S. Navy actively engaged German U-boats on the high seas, ultimately
leading to its first loss, the sinking of the USS Reuben James on 31 October
1941.
Along the American coast, U.S. Army aircraft displayed “Neutrality” markings while engaging in Atlantic and Pacific anti-submarine patrol or whenentering a declared war zone.45 These aircraft were painted with the American
flag as large as practical on the fuselage. On some aircraft, the hoist of the flag
faced forward; on others the flag’s obverse was painted on both starboard andport sides of the fuselage. On some bombers, the flag was painted on the topof the fuselage. Civilian transports also displayed the flag marking.46
As war drew near, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps air services began topaint their aircraft in a variety of camouflage schemes. Along with this camea change in the placement of the national air insignia. In February of 1941,
the national air insignia was restricted to the upper left and the lower right ofeach wing. This eliminated a balanced target when engaged in combat andfacilitated identification of friend and foe. The rudder stripes were also eliminated from camouflaged aircraft.47 On 19 March 1940, Navy aircraft engaged
in neutrality patrol were ordered to paint a second national air insignia oneach side of the aircraft (Plate 7).48

World War II“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the UnitedStates was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the naval and air forces of the
Empire of Japan.” With these words, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
awoke America from its self-imposed illusion of geographic isolation. As the
44
U.S. Naval Aircraft Markings, 3.
45
Robertson, Aircraft Camouflage and Markings, 137.
46

David Monday, Concise Guide to American Aircraft of World War II (London: Temple
Press, 1982), 33, 51, 80.
47
Robertson, Aircraft Camouflage and Markings, 137.
48
U.S. Naval Aircraft and Markings, 5.

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

Plate 7: World War II Aircraft Markings

U.S. Navy PV-1 “Ventura” patrol plane. This aircraft shows two U.S.
National Air Insignia on each side of the fuselage. Apparently these were theonly U.S. aircraft with these dual markings. The double markings were kept
until late 1943.

British built “Spitfire” fighter with U.S. and British roundels. The red, whiteand blue tail stripes are the British fin flash. Some U.S. aircraft kept them
until late 1943.

75

76

John H. Gámez

nation mobilized for war, national aircraft markings did not change. However, one of the immediate effects was the removal and replacement of national air insignias on aircraft in the Lend-Lease program. However, British
aircrews became somewhat lax in removing American insignia now that theUnited States had joined the war, which resulted in some aircraft bearing thenational air insignia of two different nations, in clear violation of international law. The first such occurrences seem to have been on American-madeaircraft being ferried to Britain.49
With the American declaration of war, the U.S. Army Air Force began toform squadrons at bases in Britain, initially using British aircraft. While training, American aircraft briefly bore both U.S. and British markings. While the
British roundels were removed for actual combat operations, they retained theBritish fin flash. The “fin flash” had evolved from the Allied tail stripes ofWorld War I (Plate 7).50 With the outbreak of war, the Coast Guard was once
again put under Navy command and its aircraft marked like their naval counterparts with the national aircraft insignia.51
The next change in the national aircraft markings on U.S. Navy aircraft
occurred on 5 January 1942, nearly a month after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The national air insignia was now displayed in six places: both sides of thefuselage and the upper and lower surfaces of each wing. This date also saw the
adoption of thirteen red and white horizontal stripes on the rudder (Plate 5).52
On 15 May 1942, the red central disk was removed from the national air
insignia to keep nervous anti-aircraft gunners from confusing the American
insignia with the Japanese Hinomaru national air insignia, a red disk American servicemen called the “meatball” (Plate 8). That order also required all
Army and Navy aircraft to remove the national rudder stripes.53
Perhaps to avoid getting shot down by trigger-happy Americans, the British air forces in the South East Asia Command area also changed their reduced-visibility roundel of blue and red to blue and light blue, and the Royal
Australian Air Force changed its roundel from blue, white, and red to blue,
white, and blue.54

49
Robertson, Aircraft Camouflage and Markings, 95.
50
Ibid., 143.
51
Ibid., 142.
52
U.S. Naval Aircraft Markings, 5.
53Angelucci, 20.
54

Robertson, Aircraft Camouflage and Markings, 133.

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

77

Some aircraft bore no national markings at all. On 16 June 1942, Congress authorized the construction of a large fleet of coastal patrol blimps. These
self-propelled airships served in the Atlantic, Pacific, and the Mediterranean.
The unusual feature of these aircraft is that they bore no national air insignias
or flags, but were identified by the marking “U.S. NAVY” in large black letterson the port and starboard sides (Plate 6).55
On 4 July 1942, U.S. Army Air Forces began combat operations in Europe. In addition to the British fin flash, American aircraft in Europe andNorth Africa unofficially adopted a yellow outer ring to the national air insignia. The British had introduced this yellow ring to aid in aircraft identification (Plate 8). The ring was approximately 2 inches wide,56 but this measurement varied on many aircraft. Some examples seem quite narrow and others
are so wide that the yellow ring on one side of the aircraft overlaps with thering on the other side. On some aircraft, the yellow ring was added to thewing roundels, on others it was not, in the British fashion. Later in the war
many of the yellow rings were painted over, giving the roundel the appearanceof having a dark green ring.
To help reduce the possibility of detection, Navy camouflage aircraftchanged the white star in the national insignia to a very light shade of grayachieved by mixing Navy gray and white paints.57 The Army also appears tohave adopted, unofficially at least, two subdued versions of the national air
insignia, but apparently never made any of these modifications. Color photosof B-17 and B-24 bombers show the star painted the same olive drab as theaircraft’s camouflage.58 Some black and white photos show the star in the sameshade of gray as the rest of the painted surface of the aircraft (which could
indicate that the star and the plane were the same color). The other variation
was the application of light gray to the white star. This was applied to alimited number of aircraft in olive drab and black paint schemes.59

55
White, 71, 74.
56

N. L. Avery, B-25 Mitchell: The Magnificent Medium (St. Paul, Minnesota: Phalanx Publishing, 1992), 173. Wheeler, 88. Officially, the roundel would only beon the port upper and starboard lower wings. The 488th Bomb Squadron (Medium), 340th Bomb Group, U.S. 9th Air Force in North Africa, used the yellow
circled insignia on the upper and lower port and starboard positions during early
1943. Apparently this was to prevent mistaken identity.
57
Robertson. Aircraft Camouflage and Markings, 141.
58
Mondey, 21, 49.
59
Angelucci, 22.

78John H. Gámez

Plate 8: U.S. Roundels in World War II

W/B

W/B/Y+

U.S. Roundel
15 May 1942–28 June 1943

U.S. Roundel variant. U.S. Army, Europe
and North Africa; U.S. Navy, Operation“Torch” November 1942.

W/B/R

W/B

W/R

U.S. National Air Insignia
28 June 1943–14 September 1943.

W

Experimental version, Pacific Theater
March 1943–28 June 1943.

W/B

U.S. National Air Insignia
14 September 1943–14 January 1947

W/B or N

Naval variant usedon dark backgrounds.

R/W/B

U.S. Civil Air Patrol Roundel, February
1942–September 1945 (?).

W/B

Unofficial variant,Western Pacific.

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

79

Early in the war, the national air insignia varied greatly. Aircraft appearedwith the yellow ringed roundel along with the American flag (in various positions), the roundel without the yellow ring but with the flag, the roundel withthe yellow ring and the British fin flash, and the roundel with an olive drab orgray star with and without the British fin flash. U.S. Air Force histories of thenational air insignia overlook these variants.60
With all of the variations of the national air insignia, 1942 also saw a newnational air insignia for the paramilitary aircraft of the Civil Air Patrol. Formedon 1 December 1941, CAP enlisted the help of civil aviation in the war effort.
Although CAP had the support of the Army Air Force, it used private planes
flown by unpaid civilian aviators. They performed anti-submarine patrol,
courier services, search and rescue, and many other vital functions.
The CAP insignia was a blue roundel with a white equilateral triangle
charged with a red three-bladed propeller (Plate 8). The U.S. State Department sent out diplomatic dispatches describing patrol uniforms and insignia
so that in the event of their capture, CAP members would be treated as prisoners of war rather than guerillas. The insignia was applied to each side of
their aircraft and on the upper left and lower right of each wing. Each aircraft
also displayed its individual civil radio call sign.61 The CAP insignia appears tohave begun in February 1942, when the CAP “National Patch” was authorized for use.62 Use of the CAP roundel seems to have ended with the close of
hostilities.
On 1 February 1943, the Navy made a final change in its placement of
the national air insignia. In addition to its position on each side of the fuselage, the national air insignia was now limited to the upper left and lower rightwings.63
As the war dragged on, military analysts reasoned that the circular insignia might be confused with the red Hinomaru of Japan or the German
Maltakreuz at a distance. They remembered the findings of Report No. 1305,
60

Bill Yenne, History of the U.S. Air Force (Stamford, Connecticut: Brompton Books,
1992), s.v. “Evolution of the U. S. National Insignia”, 253, and Charles D. Bright,
Historical Dictionary of the U.S. Air Force (New York: Greenwood Press, 1992), s.v.
“Insignia”, 295.
61
Robert Neprud, Flying Minute Men: The Story of the Civil Air Patrol (New York:
Duell, Sloan, and Pearce, 1988).
62
Major Lee Ragan, C.A.P., The Collector’s Catalog of Civil Air Patrol Insignia: 19421985 (National Historical Committee, Civil Air Patrol, 1986), 91.
63
U.S. Naval Aircraft Markings, 6.

80John H. Gámez

released in 1920, and on 28 June 1943, a new national air insignia went into
effect. It added two white bars or “wings” on either side of the roundel. The
length of each bar was equal to the radius of the roundel. The width was equal
to half the radius. The whole was surrounded by a red border equal to 1/8 theradius of the roundel (Plate 8). Tests at Elgin Field, Florida found the new
insignia 60% more recognizable than other insignias.64
An early experimental version of the insignia may have been applied to B25 “Mitchell” bombers of the 63rd Bomb Squadron, 3rd Bomb Group, 5th Air
Force serving in the Southwest Pacific. During the Battle of the Bismarck Sea(3-5 March 1943) these planes were photographed with the white bars thatwould be authorized three months later. This version of the insignia did not
yet have the red border (Plate 8).65 As soon as the new marking went into
effect, many voiced the fear that the red in the new insignia might be confusedwith the red sun disk of Japan.66
Although the flag marking was adopted before the war for use in the
Atlantic and Pacific areas, during the war it seems to have been confined touse in Europe and North Africa. After the adoption of the newly modified
national air insignia, the flag marking seems to have disappeared altogether.
The British fin flash seems to continued a little longer, but it was gone by late1943.67 The British also thought that the modified marking was a good idea,
and in 1943 British forces in the Pacific also added wings to their nationalroundel.68
Opposition to the red border around the national air insignia led to achange to blue on 14 September 1943. The national air insignia would retain
this form throughout the rest of the war with only some minor modifications.69 Photos of the aircraft with the newly authorized blue borders showthat some were haphazardly applied. Often the blue paint of the border was
darker than the sun-faded blue of the insignia. On naval aircraft with dark
64
Robertson, Aircraft Markings and Camouflage, 137.
65

C. V. Glines, “Victory in the Bismark Sea”, Air Force Magazine (Arlington, VA: Air
Force Association), August 1996, Vol. 79, No. 8, 89-93 and Charles A. Mendenhall,
Deadly Duo: The B-25 and the B-26 in WWII (Osceola, Wisconsin: Specialty Press,
1981), 60.
66
Rhodes, 82
67
Mondey, 193. Aircraft of the 487th Bomb Squadron, 340th Bomb Group, 12th Air
Force, were marked with the red-bordered national air insignia and the British fin
flash as late as September 1943.
68
Robertson, Aircraft Camouflage and Markings, 133.
69
Ibid., 137, 147.

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

81

blue or black paint schemes, only the star and bars were applied to the fuselage
and wings (Plate 8).70
Another variant appeared on some P-47 “Thunderbolt” fighters operating in the Pacific theatre. A vertical blue identification stripe, equal to theradius of the roundel portion of the insignia, was painted on the wings. A
white star was centered on the blue stripe and the blue-bordered white wings
protruded from each side of the stripe (Plate 8).71 The Army Air Forces in
Europe continued to modify the white in the insignia to light gray. After theestablishment of air superiority, the white portions were restored and camouflage gradually fell into disuse.72
The wings were adopted not only by the British Empire in the Far East,
but also by the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force. Liberated Italians fighting
alongside the Allies after the fall of Fascist Italy discarded the Fascist air insignia and readopted the green, white, and red roundel, but added light blue
wings and a dark blue border overall.73
When the Free French took to the air they adopted a white roundel witha red Cross of Lorraine to differentiate themselves from the Vichy French Air
Force. Both the Vichy French and the Free French continued to use the red,white, and blue French roundel. The Vichy French added red and yellow
identification stripes to their aircraft. Some Free French added the Americanstyle wings with a dark blue border to their roundel of yellow, red, white, andblue.74
Although all of the Latin American republics declared war against theAxis, only Mexico and Brazil actually sent fighting forces to the front. Mexico
sent the 201st Fighter Squadron, Mexican Expeditionary Air Force. The Aguilas
Aztecas (Aztec Eagles) provided close air support and bombing missions for
American troops in the Philippines. They flew metal-finish P-47Ds with a
combination of American and Mexican markings. The upper right and lower
left wings bore the triangular cockade of Mexico and the rudders were painted
in the tricolor of the Mexican flag. To assist in identification, the planes bore
the American national air insignia on the upper left and lower right wings andon each side of the fuselage (in violation of international law!) (Plate 9).75
70
Ibid., 147.
71
Angelucci, 22.
72
Robertson, Aircraft Camouflage and Markings, 150.
73
Mondey, 13.
74
Mendenhall, 83.
75

Michael O’Leary, USAAF Fighters in World War Two in Action, (New York: Blanford
Press, 1986), 267, 268 and Mexico’s Squadron 201, written, directed, and producedby Rick Leal, narrated by Bill Elliot (PBS, KMBH-TV Harlingen, Texas, 1992).

82

John H. Gámez

Plate 9: U.S. Allies’ Roundels in World War II
Upper left, lower right.

Upper right, lower left.

R/W/V

VWR

Markings of 201st Squadron, Mexican Expeditionary Air Force,Western Pacific, 1945.

W/B

W/B/W/Star: V-Y x 10/B

Brazilian Air Force, Italian Front, 1945.

1 & 4: W bordered R
2 & 3 R bordered W

Polish national marking.
Polish pilots flew with the
U.S. 56th Fighter Group.

W/N

China Air Task Force roundel,
China/Burma, India Theater.

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

83

The Brazilian 1st Fighter Group, which flew camouflaged P-47Ds, provided close air support on the Italian front. Rather than use a combination ofmarkings, the Brazilian Air Force modified its national air insignia, placing
Brazil’s green and yellow star over the white American star. The rudders had
the traditional green and yellow vertical stripes (Plate 9).76
After the fall of Poland, many members of the Polish Air Force not captured by the Germans made their way via the Soviet Union to France. There
they flew with the French Air Force using a combination of markings. Afterthe fall of France, the free Poles flew with the Royal Air Force, the Soviet Air
Force, and the U.S. Army Air Force. Flying P-47Ds with the U.S. 56th Fighter
Group, Polish aircraft bore the U.S. national air insignia on the wings andfuselage. The red and white Polish national air insignia was painted on theport and starboard sides of the engine cowling (Plate 9).77
In addition to producing many of its own aircraft, the Soviet Union received many American-built aircraft through the Lend-Lease program. Planes
designated for Russian use had white roundels charged with a red star (identical to the U.S. Army Signal Corps markings used in 1917). The Soviets modified the markings to conform to their own standards. At the time, the Soviet
insignia was a plain red star, sometimes with a narrow white or yellow border.78
The most unusual marking on American aircraft was used by the U.S./
China composite unit, the China Air Task Force. CATF operated in the China/
Burma/India theatre of operations and flew C-47 cargo aircraft. Rather thanusing U.S. or Chinese air force markings, it used a roundel bearing a large
Chinese character (Plate 9), placed on each side of the fuselage. The tail boreno special marking.79 The source does not explain the significance of the character or the colors used, but it was likely black with a white character (although the photo of the CATF aircraft is not in color). The CATF roundel
was very similar to the U.S. Army’s “Chung” patch, awarded to personnel of
the U.S. 15th Infantry Regiment who achieved proficiency in Mandarin Chinese: a black roundel with a red character identical to the CATF character.80
At the end of the war, the United States controlled the greatest aerial
76
Mondey, 219.
77

Dr. Jan Koniarek, Polish Air Force: 1939-1945 (Carrolton, Texas: Squadron/Signal, 1994), 37, 58.
78
Various sources.
79
Larry Davis, C-47 Skytrain in Action (Carrolton, Texas: Squadron/Signal, 1995),
33.
80Jack Britton and George Washington, Jr., 14, 81.

84John H. Gámez

armada in history. The U.S. national air insignia had evolved from an unofficial local marking on aircraft of a third-rate air force to the emblem of themost powerful armed force in the world. This insignia would continue to
evolve due to tactical necessity. It would also influence the design of the air
insignias of other nations as well.

Post-War and Cold War
The period immediately after the war saw no change in the national air insignia. With Japan no longer a military threat, the national air insignia could
once again be red, white, and blue. On 14 January 1947, the Army and Navy
added a red horizontal stripe to the white bars of the national air insignia(Plate 10).81 Although the insignia retains this form today, the Cold War andpractical necessity would require further modification and evolution. Official
and unofficial histories often recognize only a few of these.
The Navy used the first variant of the new national air insignia. On
aircraft painted dark insignia blue or black, only the white stars and bars andthe red stripes were applied to the fuselage and wings (Plate 10).82 Anothervariant adopted by the Navy, and later the Air Force, was used on aircraft
painted with white upper surfaces and insignia blue undersides. The upperedge of the blue bar border was applied flush with the edge of the blue of theaircraft with the roundel portion appearing as a hump protruding into thewhite area (Plate 10).83
The few attempts to revive the prewar tail stripes never caught on.84 In the
1970s the USAF 2nd Fighter Interceptor Training Squadron used the prewar
tail stripes (thirteen horizontal stripes, red and white, behind a vertical blue
stripe) as their squadron marking. It also added thirteen white stars to theblue stripe (Plate 11).85
An asymmetrical emblem such as the national air insignia needs uniformity in its application on aircraft. Since the wings of aircraft were normally at
a 90˚ angle from the fuselage, the insignia was applied accordingly. After thewar, captured German aviation engineers brought “swept wing” technology to
the U.S., and soon the swept wing F-86 “Sabre” fighter debuted and went on
81
U.S. Naval Aircraft Markings, 4, 8.
82
Ibid., 4.
83
Photos in various sources.
84
Robertson, Aircraft Camouflage and Markings, 178.
85

Kevin Keaveney, McDonnell F101B/F (Arlington, Texas: Aerofax, Inc., 1984), 4,
5, 23.

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

85

Plate 10: Post-War National Air Insignia
W/B

W
R
W

14 January 1947–present.
W

W
R
W

14 January 1947–present (variant).
W/B

W
R
W
Note bottom is color of
aircraft paint.

14 January 1947–present (variant).
W/B/W

W/B

Border is “normal
aircraft finish.”

W borderW
R
W“Arctic Clearance”.

W
R
W“Clearance” on the US National Air
Insignia on the SR-71 “Blackbird”.

86John H. Gámez

Plate 11: Post-War Emblems

R-W x 13

W/B

Unofficial tail stripes, 1970s.

Wing of F-86 “Sabre”.
National air insignia placed
at 90° angle from fuselage
centerline.

Wing of F-100“Super Sabre”. National
air insignia placed along the 50%
chord line. The 50% chord line is theimaginary line formed by the average of thesweep of the wing’s leading and trailing edges.

Starboard side of tail.

Port side of tail.

“Raked” flags.

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

87

to fame in the skies over Korea. Despite the 35˚ sweep of the wings, thehorizontal axis of the national air insignia remained at 90˚ from the fuselage(Plate 11).86
On 9 March 1955, the air services decreed that the national air insignia
be applied along the axis formed by the 50% chord line of the wing (Plate11),87 the imaginary line formed by the average of the sweep of the leading
and trailing edges of the wing. The exception to this rule would be on deltawing fighters, where the national air insignia would be placed near the trailingedge of the wing with the horizontal axis set at 90˚ from the fuselage centerline.88
In the late 1950s an unofficial variant of the insignia appeared on air
defense interceptors operating the Arctic. Those aircraft had a bare metal
finish accented by bright red tails and wings, a color scheme designed to aid
search and rescue efforts in case of an accidental downing. Perhaps to keep
the appearance of the insignia clear when placed on the red, a bare metalborder was added.89 This border is referred to as a “clearance” and is the normal aircraft finish before the application of the Arctic Red (later International
Orange) marking. The width of the clearance appears to have been originally
set at about double the width of the blue border around the national air insignia. In later years the width was reduced to one inch (Plate 10).90 This ofcourse, is not always the case. Some photos of red-marked Navy research
aircraft show the national air insignia placed on red backgrounds without aclearance.91 When only part of the national air insignia is applied to an orange
marking, only that part has the clearance.
An unusual use of the clearance was on the all black SR-71 “Blackbird”.
Although the clearance is the aircraft finish or color and is used on highvisibility Arctic markings, the SR-71 was painted in an all-black low-visibility
scheme. On the Blackbird’s national air insignias the clearance was white andonly about one and a half times the width of the blue border of the national
air insignia (Plate 10). Because of the nature of the Blackbird’s mission, thenational air insignia was not always used—on Air Force and CIA reconnais86
Robertson, United States Army and Air Force Fighters, 213, 219.
87
U.S. Naval Aircraft Markings, 9.
88
Observations from photographs and a variety of actual aircraft.
89
Dorr, 113, 114.
90

Dana Bell, USAF Colors and Markings in the 1990s (London: Greenhill Books,
1992), 45, 54, 56, 58, 67, 69, 73.
91
Bert Kinzey and Ray Leader, Colors and Markings of U.S. Navy F-4 Phantoms (Blue
Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: TAB Books, 1990), 55.

88John H. Gámez

sance missions, no actual national air insignias were displayed.92
The early 1960s saw the return of the U.S. flag as a marking on military
aircraft. Its use is usually limited to cargo and VIP transport aircraft and isoften placed on the vertical control surface. The flag’s proportions vary: someaircraft use the proper 10:19 ratio, on others it is much shorter. On someaircraft the flag marking is rectangular, on others it is rhombus-shaped. Witha rhombus shape, the flag appears raked, with the lower point towards theleading edge of the tail surface (Plate 11).93 On some VIP airplanes and helicopters operated by the Army and the Air Force, the flag is the only national
insignia displayed.94
Possibly the only time that the flag was used as a wing marking on military aircraft was on the planes used by a Navy electronic warfare squadron inViet Nam. In addition to national air insignia in the standard positions, theseaircraft had a large flag painted on the vertical control surface and on theunderside of the port wing. Photos do not show if the flag was applied to the
starboard upper wing.95 The “Golden Falcons” of Helicopter Anti-Submarine
Squadron Two (or simply, HS-2) are also authorized to display the flag on
their naval aircraft. In addition to the national air insignia they also apply alarge U.S. flag on either side of the fuselage. HS-2 is the only anti-submarine
helicopter authorized to wear the U.S. flag on its aircraft.96
In an interesting aspect of the placement of the national air insignia, on 9
September 1963 the U.S. Army issued instructions to remove the national air
insignia from all of its camouflaged aircraft.97 Perhaps coincidentally, twomonths later President John F. Kennedy gave rebel generals in South Viet
Nam his promise not to retaliate in the event of a coup. Henry Cabot Lodge,
92

Michael O’Leary, SR-71: Inside Lockheed’s Blackbird (Osceola, Wisconsin:
Motorbooks, 1991), photos throughout the book. Measurements of the clearance are based on photos of the national air insignias painted on the aircraft in thebook.
93
Various sources.
94
Wayne Mutza, Fighting Colors: UH-1 Huey in Color (Carrolton, Texas: Squadron/Signal, 1992), 17, 20 and Chuck Stewart, Superbase 3: Ramstein – Headquarters of
the USAFE (London: Osprey, 1988), 20-25.
95
Davis, 43.
96
Al Adcock, H-3 SeaKing in Action (Carrolton, Texas: Squadron/Signal, 1995), p.
47.
97
After the order to remove the national air insignia was released, the Army issued adocument explaining those changes. Unfortunately, the museum does not have a
copy of that document. Regina G. Burns, Librarian, U.S. Army Aviation Museum. Letter to the author, 13 May 1996.

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

89

U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Viet Nam, told the President “…theground in which the coup seed grew into a robust plant was prepared by us,
and that coup would not have happened (as) it did without our preparation”.98
This, of course, is not conclusive evidence that the coup of 1963 was thereason for the removal of the national air insignia from camouflaged U.S.
Army aircraft. This order affected Army aviation worldwide and is still in
effect today. If the coup were the reason, the order might have been confined
to aircraft in South East Asia, and Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps aircraft
would have removed their national insignias as well. Instead, throughout
most of the war the other air services continued to use full-color national air
insignias on their camouflaged aircraft.
The real reason for the U.S. Army’s decision to remove the national air
insignia from camouflaged aircraft might have been the change in its warfighting doctrine. As military theory evolved in the nuclear age,“counterinsurgency” (also referred to as “COIN”) became the U.S. responseto the Soviet doctrine of promoting “wars of national liberation”.99 The stage
was set for the two superpowers to fight the Cold War through surrogates,
testing weapons and tactics without actually engaging one another—and unmarked or “sterile” U.S. Army aircraft and their aircrews could go anywhere in
the world and conduct operations against a Soviet-trained adversary.
The U.S. Air Force took a different approach. During Operation Farm
Gate (November 1961–May 1964), the U.S. Air Force was sent to Viet Nam
to provide aircraft and training for the Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF). The
VNAF discarded its old roundel and adopted a variant of the U.S. national air
insignia, a blue roundel charged with a white star. On each side were golden
yellow bars with a red horizontal stripe, echoing the flag of the Republic ofViet Nam. A red border (Plate 12) surrounded the whole.
During these operations, USAF aircraft bore the VNAF insignia and had
at least one Vietnamese observer aboard. This eventually became a mere formality—often the “observer” was just an unfortunate Vietnamese enlisted man,abducted, thrown into a seat, and told not to touch anything. This was done
so that if an American plane were shot down, an Asian body would be foundin the wreckage.100 Eventually, American aircraft began operating against the98

Colonel Harry G. Summers, Jr., Vietnam War Almanac (New York: Facts on File,1985), 141.
99
Ibid., 134.
100
Jim Mesko, VNAF – South Vietnamese Air Force: 1945-1975. (Carrolton, Texas:
Squadron/Signal, 1987), 20-23.

90John H. Gámez

Plate 12: U.S.-Backed National Aircraft Insignia
W/B/R

Y
R
Y

(South) Viet Nam Air Force national air insignia.

W/R

W/B

W
R
W

Khmer Republic national air insignia.
B
W
B

Both used the same
rudder stripes.

W
B

W/R

Cuban FAR national markings.

W/R

B
W
B

U.S.-backed Cuban rebels.

W/R/B

Cuban government emblem.

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

91

Viet Cong (VC) without even the formality of having a Vietnamese serviceman aboard. Their American pilots were operating under false colors.101 The
distinguishing feature of the VNAF-marked American aircraft was the lack of
the VNAF fin flash. This marking was the flag of the Republic of Viet Nam invarious proportions. American aircraft also appear to have lacked VNAF air
insignia on the wings.102
The same practice may have occurred in Cambodia. Because the North
Vietnamese Army (NVA) and the VC operated out of bases in neutral Cambodia, the U.S. began a secret bombing campaign to disrupt the Ho Chi Mihn
Trail. In 1970, Prince Norodom Sihanouk was deposed from the Cambodian
throne and replaced by General Lon Nol. After this, the U.S. began pouring
military aid and training into the new Khmer Republic. Along with a flagchange, the Khmer Air Force (KAF) adopted a new national air insignia, aroundel containing elements of the Khmer flag and adding the American wings(Plate 12).103 FANK (Forces Armées Nationale Khmer) Training Command
was established to train the Khmer armed forces.104 While training Khmer
pilots, American pilots may have flown “training” missions against the VC
and the NVA while flying under KAF colors.
Since the early 1960s the U.S. was also covertly involved in Laos, providing training to the regime and conducting air operations from bases in several
locations. American aircraft also flew under a variety of markings. The CIA
operated an “airline” called Air America. Using civil markings and registration, this airline conducted airdrops of troops and supplies in support of theLaotian government. In some cases Air America used unmarked all black orolive drab aircraft to conduct secret operations. The U.S. Army attaché in
Laos also operated aircraft without national air insignias. Selected aircrews of
the U.S. Air Force Attaché’s Office flew many “weather reconnaissance” missions over Laos. Although their T-28 aircraft were owned by the Royal Laotian Air Force (RLAF), placards bearing small versions of the U.S. national air
insignia were placed on the sides of each plane. Despite the small fuselage
insignia (the roundel portion being no larger than a man’s hand), they likely
still retained the RLAF wing roundels.105 Other aircraft operating against the101“B-26”, Weekday Wings. Aviation documentary series aired on the Discovery
Channel.
102
Mesko, 20-23.
103
Davis, 45.
104
Summers, 104.
105
Kenneth Conboy, War in Laos: 1954-1975 (Carrolton, Texas: Squadron/Signal,
1994), text and photos throughout the book.

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John H. Gámez

NVA and the VC from bases in Viet Nam, Thailand, and aircraft carriers used
the U.S. national air insignia.
While U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia became the defining politicalevent of the modern era, it could just as easily have been Cuba. After Fidel
Castro turned Cuba into a Communist state, the U.S. acted to counter thatnation’s revolution. Beginning on 29 November 1959, the U.S. flew unmarked aircraft over Havana to drop propaganda leaflets. In January of 1960
the CIA began to organize an army, navy, and air force to help anti-Castro
Cuban exiles mount an invasion of Cuba. At first Cuban pilots were trainedusing a variety of unmarked aircraft. For the actual invasion they were to beara fraudulent Cuban national air insignia. The emblem of the Cuban Revolutionary Air Force (FAR) was, as it is today, a blue roundel charged with a red
equilateral triangle and white star. The CIA-backed rebels would use an insignia based on the U.S national air insignia and the Cuban flag. This rebel air
force (also known as the FAR) used a red equilateral triangle with a white starand blue and white horizontal bars. To confuse matters further, both FARs
used the same rudder markings, painted like the Cuban flag (Plate 12).106
The “Bay of Pigs” operation, although approved by the Eisenhower administration, was carried out under President John F. Kennedy. Concerned
about overt U.S. participation in the invasion, he ordered U.S. Air Force andNavy aircraft assigned to the invasion to remove their national insignias. At
the last minute U.S. air support was denied and the rebel FAR suffered terrible losses. When Cuban aircrews refused to fly without American air support, American volunteers flew planes with rebel FAR insignias. In the end,
the mission failed because the promised U.S. air support never materialized
and the people of Cuba continued to back Castro.107
During the Reagan administration, the U.S. Air Force conducted a variety of missions in Nicaragua, and the U.S. Army flew many missions in unmarked aircraft. The CIA also operated unmarked aircraft in support of thecontrarevolucionarios (“Contras”).108 Covert air missions may also have been
flown in unmarked or falsely marked aircraft in other parts of the world. CIA
aircraft are sometimes seen at U.S. airbases worldwide. Their main distinguishing feature is the lack of markings: other than a splash of color, theyusually carry an untraceable serial number.109
106

Barry C. Wheeler, Military Aircraft Markings and Profiles (New York: Gallery
Books, 1990), 110, 115.
107
Victor Flintham, Air Wars and Aircraft: A Detailed Record of Air Combat – 1945 to
the Present (New York: Facts on File, 1990), 345-349.
108
Ibid., 361-365.
109
Stewart, 44-45.

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

93

Subdued Insignia
The war in Viet Nam was a long, frustrating affair, not only for the American
people but for the armed forces as well. The war produced a number of innovative military ideas, and in some cases revived and developed old ideas suchas the subdued national insignia of World War II. For example, because helicopters operating near the ground were especially susceptible to enemy groundfire, the Marines overspread the white in the national insignia with the same
olive drab as the helicopter camouflage.110 Except for the rescue and warning
markings, all other markings—including the national air insignia—were
painted black (Plate 13),111 which would, in theory, reduce the visibility ofhelicopters approaching a “hot” landing zone.
The Air Force had a different solution: the full-color national air insignia
was retained, but reduced from 30 inches high to 15 inches with the blue
border deleted (Plate 13). These changes responded in part to the increased
sophistication of the optical seekers on anti-aircraft missiles.112 After Viet Nam,the armed forces continued to experiment with low-visibility (“lo viz”) markings, using a number of official and unofficial variants.
In addition to the “borderless” insignia and the Marine variant (the “solid”),
two other variants were developed: the “outline” and the “stencil” (Plate 14)
versions. The outline is commonly used on fighters and attack planes. The
stencil is used mostly by the Air Mobility Command (AMC), the Air ForceReserve (AFREES), and the Air National Guard (ANG).113
The solid version of the “lo viz” national air insignia has the greatest color
variation. The most common colors used on U.S. combat aircraft are blackon olive drab, gray on olive drab, olive drab on gray, dark gray on light gray,light gray on dark gray, light gray on pale gray, and light gray on black. On
some naval combat aircraft the national air insignia is applied so lightly that it
is barely distinguishable from the background color.114 On “Aggressor” aircraft, which are painted in Soviet-style desert camouflage, the solid national
air insignia colors are light brown on green, light brown on dark brown, anddark brown on light brown.115 “Stealth” aircraft use two different versions of110
Mutza, 6.
111
Wheeler, 168.
112
Rhodes, 83.
113
Yenne, 253.
114
Author’s observations
115

Tim Laming. Fight’s On!: Airborne With the Aggressors (Osceola, Wisconsin:
MotorBooks, 1996) and George Hall, Top Gun: The Navy’s Fighter Weapons School(Novato, California: Presidio Press, 1987), photos throughout both books.

94John H. Gámez

the national air insignia. The F-117 “Nighthawk” (also known as the “Blackjet”)
uses the outline version in gray on black. The B-2 “Spirit” stealth bomber
uses a gray-on-black solid version.116
During the 1970s, the armed forces ran a series of experiments on the
subdued national air insignia. On some tests the blue and red were retained,
but the white was not used. In one experiment the blue and red elements were
only lightly applied to the camouflage paint scheme. Another version had agray solid version of the air insignia with dark gray in place of the normallywhite elements, and applied to a light gray background.117 In 1978 the “S”
version of the F-4 fighter was produced with a “lower viz” version of the“borderless” national air insignia. This version was black on a light gray background. The “borderless” horizontal bars required a narrow black outline tokeep them distinct (Plate 13).118
When aircraft camouflage consists of two or more colors, the applicationof the national air insignia can be confusing. An insignia of a solid color isapplied to a background of another color. When the background is two or
more colors, the insignia is a single color different from the background colors. On two-color “splintered” or “mottled” camouflage, the national air insignia can counterchange the colors (Plate 13). Depending on the paint scheme,
an aircraft can have national air insignias of two different colors on different
parts of the airframe. For example, an aircraft can have a light gray insignia ona dark gray fuselage, and a dark gray insignia on light gray wings.119
The stencil and outline national air insignia are often placed on singlecolor backgrounds. For multi-colored schemes, those versions of the insignia
are sometimes positioned so that the national air insignia is on a single color.
The stencil and outline versions have not been observed to counterchange theaircraft paint scheme. The Air Force tends to use the stencil and outline versions, while the Navy and Marine Corps use the solid version.120 (The Army
does not use the national air insignia on camouflaged aircraft.) The outline
and stencil versions of the national air insignia have a number of variants. An
early version of the outline insignia had a solid black star. Other variations
116

Erik Simonson, This is Stealth: The F-117 and B-2 – In Color (Novato, California:
Presidio Press, 1992), photos throughout. Although the “Nighthawk” has an “F”
designation indicating a fighter, it is actually a ground attack aircraft.
117
Wheeler, 157, 179, 187.
118
Larry Davis, F-4 Phantom II in Action (Carrolton, Texas: Squadron/Signal, 1984),
54.
119
Author’s observations from various sources.
120
Author’s observations.

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

Plate 13: Subdued Insignia

Black on olive drab.
W/B

W
R
W

Blue border omitted.

Black on light gray.

Counter-changed variant.

95

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John H. Gámez

Plate 14: “Low Viz” Variants

Four “outline” variants, 1970s–present.

Six “stencil” variants, 1970s–present.

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

97

may be due to inconsistencies of application. Often, seemingly hastily madestencils produce insignias with poor star or horizontal bar proportions, or anaircraft maintenance technician may produce versions with an added flair.121
One of the most unusual versions of the national air insignia was on acombat aircraft painted all black for the air-to-air combat sequences used in
the motion picture Top Gun. After filming was completed, it was restored toits normal camouflage paint scheme. It was later repainted gloss black with abright-red solid national air insignia. It also has red “Aggressor” stars on the
tail fin. This scheme has no training or combat value, but it looks good at air
shows.122
Subdued national air insignia are limited to frontline combat, combat
support, and “Aggressor” training aircraft painted in camouflage paint schemes.
Trainers, hospital planes, VIP transports, and a variety of other aircraft retain
full-size and full-color national air insignias. When the aircraft of HS-2 (Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 2) converted from a gloss white to a subdued light gray “lo viz” scheme, the large flags on the fuselage were also subdued. In this case the red and blue elements of the flag were changed to a
medium gray and the white stripes and stars became the same pale gray as theaircraft fuselage. The flags themselves do not appear to have been reduced insize.123
Whether or not subdued national air insignia effectively conceal combat
aircraft depends on whom you ask. A British camouflage specialist once said,“If I were in charge of tactics, I would spray all fighter aircraft gray, reduce thesize of the national insignia and delete all unnecessary external colors andmarkings and that includes all those bright squadron badges!”124 Aviation writerPeter R. Foster wrote, “Although many units have opted for outline badges in
an attempt to create a complete illusion of low visibility, if your adversary is
close enough to see actual unit badges then you are no doubt already dead!”125
Realistically, a brightly colored national air insignia can only be seen for a
121
Various sources.
122
Laming, 131.
123

The Hunt For Red October, produced by Mace Neufeld/Jerry Sherlock, directed byJohn McTiernan (Paramount Pictures, 1989, videocassette). Because this film
was made with the cooperation of the Department of Defense, unaltered U.S.
naval aircraft apparently were depicted, making this a reliable source for the markings of this particular squadron.
124
Wheeler, 7.
125Peter R. Foster, F-15 Eagle (London: Ian Allen, Ltd., 1990), 55.

98John H. Gámez

few thousand feet (depending on insignia size and colors used). An aircraft
can be seen for several miles (this varies with aircraft size, paint scheme, lightand weather conditions, and the angle at which aircraft is seen). A jet is usually heard before it is seen. Ground-based and airborne radars can acquire atarget over 100 miles away. Infrared optical seekers not only “see” the hot
aircraft engine exhaust, but the hot leading edges of the airframe as well (dueto friction against the atmosphere).126 Satellites can even detect certain typesof airfield decoys that may fool high-speed aircraft flying at treetop level.127
Aircraft manufacturers have adopted many countermeasures to these threats,such as radar detectors and jammers, infrared decoys, radar-absorbent paintand materials, and low-radar-signature designs. In this never-ending cycle ofmeasure and countermeasure, the national air insignia has been reduced insize and faded; esprit de corps has taken a back seat to survivability.

Occasions and Incidents
During the 1976 bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence, some aircraft were temporarily painted in special schemes of special red, white, andblue, which made great public relations tools for the air services. In the mostextreme cases, where the entire aircraft was painted in patriotic colors, thenational air insignia was usually deleted (perhaps on aircraft covered with stars
and stripes, the national air insignia was considered superfluous).128
The U.S. armed forces operate two aerial demonstration teams, the Air
Force’s Thunderbirds and the Navy’s Blue Angels. Only the Thunderbirds
display the national air insignia. Because of their aircraft’s special paint scheme,
it is placed on both sides of the fuselage and on the upper left wing.129 The
Blue Angels identify their nationality by displaying “U.S. NAVY” in large
golden yellow letters on their bright blue wings and fuselage (Plate 15).130
When a squadron of the Hawaii Air National Guard converted from one
paint scheme to another, several of its F-4C “Phantom” fighters ended up
with two national air insignias on the fuselage. One scheme called for thenational air insignia to be placed near the center of the fuselage while the126Bill Gunston and Mike Spick, Modern Air Combat: The Aircraft, Tactics andWeapons Employed in Aerial Warfare Today (New York: Crescent Books, 1983),
39-65.
127
Stewart, 14.
128
Dorr, 95, 106, 110, and other sources.
129
Bill Siuru and Bill Holder, F-16 Fighting Falcon (Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: TAB/Aero Books, 1991), 67-68.
130Kinzey and Leader.

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

Plate 15: Distinctive Aircraft Markings

U.S. Navy “Blue Angels” marking.

Personal aircraft of Commander H. E. Cook, Jr., CAG of Air
Group 19. Aircraft is a dark blue F8F-1 “Bearcat” fighter.

99

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John H. Gámez

other required it near the rear. Because of a shortage of gray paint, the extra
national air insignia could not be removed. Those aircraft remained withthose markings for several weeks.131 Regulations call for only one national air
insignia on each side of the fuselage.132
It is easy to spot the personal aircraft of a Navy carrier air wing commander. Known as the “Commander, Air Group” (or CAG), his aircraft isnumbered “000”, has a number of brightly colored markings, and its national
air insignia is usually larger than on other planes.133 The most outstanding
example of this was the personal aircraft of Commander H. E. Cook, Jr.,CAG of Air Group 19. Flying an overall dark blue F8F-1 “Bearcat” fighter,the national air insignia on his aircraft was without a doubt unique. The
white and red horizontal bars stretched from the tail and then swept upwards
to meet in front of the cockpit. The red stripe was interrupted by the legend“AIR GROUP NINETEEN” (Plate 15).134 This aircraft (or a reasonable facsimile) survives today as a privately owned classic aircraft, but without thelegend.135
In 1973, during joint exercises with the Royal Navy, a USMC fighter
landed on the HMS Ark Royal, but was unable to take off and had to stayaboard until repairs could be made. The Ark Royal was scheduled to make aport visit to the island of Malta. Because of strained U.S.-Malta relations at
the time, the fighter was partially repainted with Royal Navy squadron markings and the U.S. national air insignia was covered with cardboard.136
During development of the “Harrier” attack plane, a special squadron
known as the “Tripartite Evaluation Squadron” (TES) was formed to fly andevaluate it. Great Britain, West Germany, and the U.S jointly funded theaircraft, then known as the “Kestrel”.137 Because of its international nature,
the Kestrel bore the unusual TES roundel, which was divided into three sections. The upper third was the RAF roundel, the second third was a roundelin German colors, and the remaining third was light blue with a full-color
131
Dorr, 28-29.
132

Barry C. Wheeler, An Illustrated Guide to Aircraft Markings (New York: PrenticeHall Press, 1986), 110.
133
Dorr, 93-104.
134
Edward T. Maloney, Grumman F8F Bearcat (Falbrook, California: Aero Publishers, 1969).
135
Phillip Makanna, Ghosts: Vintage Aircraft of World War II (Charlottesville, Virginia: Thomsson-Grant, 1987), 101-103.
136
Dorr, Frontispiece, 4.
137
Mike Spick, BAe/McDD Harrier (New York: Smithmark, 1991), 13.

Above, roundel; below, fin flash. From left to right, TES insignia as originally specified; TES insignia in actual use,
port upper and starboard lower, port fin flash; starboard upper and port lower, starboard fin flash.

Plate 16: Tripartite Evaluation Squadron Markings

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia
101

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John H. Gámez

U.S. national air insignia centered upon it. The roundel was to be displayedon the upper and lower surfaces of each wing. The fin flash was also international—a horizontal bar divided into nine stripes of black, red, yellow, red,white, blue, red, white, light blue from fore to aft (Plate 116).138 On actual
TES roundels painted on the Kestrels, a narrow white border separated eachsegment. The specification chart shows the roundels to be the same on all
four wing positions. Photos of Kestrels show that the port and starboard
roundels to be mirror images of each other. Additionally, the German
Maltakreuz defaces the German portion of the roundel. The fin flash on thoseaircraft also has a narrow white border between the German, British, andAmerican sections (Plate 16).139
Just before the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, the Imperial Iranian Air
Force (IIAF) ordered a number of F-4 Phantom IIs from the McDonnellDouglas factory in St. Louis, Missouri. The aircraft were painted in Iraniandesert camouflage, but had U.S. Air Force serial numbers and U.S. national
air insignias. They were ferried to Tehran, Iran by U.S. Air Force pilots. Afterlanding, one of the pilots noticed that the Shah of Iran was being led to a
waiting airliner via the rear air stairs. They then realized that the aircraft werebeing delivered to the wrong regime, but before the pilots could climb backinto their aircraft, the U.S. national air insignias had been painted out andreplaced with Iranian flags!140
When flyable enemy aircraft are captured, their markings are quickly removed and replaced with the U.S. national air insignia. Not only does thisindicate the aircraft’s new owner, when the aircraft is flown for evaluation no
one will try to shoot it down. The exception to this rule was on Japanese
government aircraft during the American occupation after World War II. General Douglas MacArthur, with a deep understanding of the Japanese people
from many years of living and serving in Asia, recommended that Emperor
Hirohito be allowed to stay upon the Chrysanthemum Throne. Although theEmperor reigned, MacArthur, as head of the Occupation Government ruled,
and assumed the traditional Japanese role of shogun (warlord).
The American shogun imposed a new insignia for Japanese government
aircraft. Aircraft were to be painted white and had dark green crosses.141 The
138

Francis K. Mason, Harrier, 2nd ed. (Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press,
1983), 49.
139
Ibid., 52, 54.
140
Walter J. Boyne, Phantom in Combat (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institute,1985), 161.
141
Robertson, Aircraft Camouflage and Markings, 161.

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

103

Hinomaru had set—temporarily. A poem may give the only clue to the colors.
When Communism began to infiltrate the Tokyo Imperial University, Professor Kiyoshi Hiraizumi established the “Green-Green” School. This philosophy, a revival of traditional Japanese values, derived its name from a poem bya Japanese patriot who fought against the Mongols. Before his execution hewrote, “Evergreen in the snow is even greener”. That is taken to mean that a
man under duress who remains green (or true) is truly pure. Perhaps thisreflects the words of the Emperor when he announced to the nation his acceptance of the Allied Joint Resolution, asking his nation to “…foster nobility ofspirit; and work with resolution so as ye may enhance the innate glory of theImperial State…”142

The Aggressors
Training for modern air combat embodies two philosophies: the Russian
maxim—“The harder the training, the easier the war” and the French saying—“The more the things change, the more they stay the same”.
Modern air-to-air combat training began with the dismal fighting record
in Viet Nam. During World War II the U.S. Navy’s fighters posted a 15:1 killratio over the Japanese. In Korea it is estimated that the kill ratio was as highas 14:1 over Communist fliers. In Viet Nam it fell from 2.5:1 to below 1:1.
After studying the problem, the Navy realized that its pilots relied heavily on
self-guided missiles and had forgotten the “dog-fighting” tactics first developed in World War I. The Navy’s answer was to establish the Fighter Weapons School (known as “Top Gun”) in 1969. It is a “Ph.D.-level course in airto-air combat”. Graduates of the course brought the Navy’s kill ratio in VietNam up to an acceptable 12:1 margin.143
In 1972, the Air Force’s Red Baron Report drew the same conclusions as
the Navy. The Air Force established its own Fighter Weapons School with thesame goal as its Navy counterpart—to train American pilots to fight against
an enemy that closely simulates Soviet philosophy, training, weapons, aircraft
performance, and tactics. The training is so real that aircraft are painted in
142

John Toland, The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire (NewYork: Bantam Books, 1971), 922, 946. Author’s interpretation as to why green
was chosen for Japanese government aircraft.
143
Hall, 7, 14. As stated, the nuclear age brought about a change in war fighting
doctrine. Fighters became seen as rapid weapons-delivery systems capable of bringa large amount of firepower and even nuclear weapons to the battlefield, making“dogfighting” obsolete.

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John H. Gámez

Soviet camouflage schemes and markings.144 This is not new. Before WorldWar II, air forces used simulated enemy markings for tactical air exercises.
The U.S. used colored squares, crosses, or rings (for simulated enemies designated “red force”, “green force”, etc.),145 while the German Luftwaffe covered
its Maltakreuz with a red roundel to simulate enemy aircraft.146
The U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy both employ squadrons dedicatedto “dissimilar” training. They are known as “Aggressors”. The Air Force andNavy Aggressors generally use either full-color or subdued U.S. national air
insignias.147 In recent years, Aggressors have adopted the national air insigniasof potential threat nations. American Aggressor aircraft can be found with thenational markings of Iraq, the former Soviet Union, Cuba, and Iran. This
usually takes the form of the country’s flag or national air insignia painted on
the tail fin. The most common Aggressor marking is the red star, often used asa fin flash with wings and fuselage marked with the U.S. national air insignia.
U.S. Marine Corps Aggressors usually deface the red star with the Marine
Corps badge in black. Some exceptions to this rule are U.S. Army helicoptersmarked only with red stars and some U.S. Navy F-14 “Tomcats” painted withthe camouflage and national markings of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air
Force (IRIAF).148

Ballistic and Cruise Missiles
Unmanned missiles are a class of munitions, just like bombs, bullets, andhand grenades. While other munitions never carry identifying national markings, some missiles do. Experiments with unmanned flying bombs during
and after World War I met with failure and then marginal success, but inWorld War II the German jet-powered V-1 and the rocket-powered V-2 proved
the technology feasible. These early flying bombs carried no national air insignias.149
Missile technology came to the United States with rocket engineer Werner
144

Michael Skinner, Air Combat For the ‘80s: Red Flag (Novato, California: Presidio
Press, 1984), 23-27.
145
Archer, 27, 203, 227, 228.
146
Wheeler, Military Aircraft Markings and Profiles, 53.
147
Hall, photos throughout. Skinner, photos throughout.
148
Laming, photos throughout.
149
Nigel Macknight, Tomahawk Cruise Missile (Osceola, Wisconsin: Motorbooks,
1995), 6-19. Harry G. Stine, The Making of Weapons that Changed the World(New York: Orion Books, 1991), photo section.

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

105

von Braun and many of his scientists. The U.S. Army also captured a numberof V-1s and V-2s. The Army, Navy, and later the Air Force experimented
extensively with missiles. In some cases the national air insignia was applied
to the missile, on others it was not. As a rule, if the missile had a basic airplane
shape, then the air insignia would be applied to the fuselage and wings. Missiles and large rockets with only stubby control fins usually did not have theinsignia applied. However, photos show many exceptions.150
The sea-launched “Regulas 2” cruise missile had another variant of thenational air insignia. The missile itself was painted insignia blue on the upper
half and white on the lower half. The national air insignia was centered along
the division between the colors; the upper half merged into the backgroundand the lower half protruded into the white area151

W
R
W

W/B

The practice of applying national air insignia on cruise missiles seems a
bit absurd. A frame from a video taken during the Persian Gulf War captures
what is presumably an American cruise missile flying at treetop level over Iraq.
The frame shows only a dark missile shape flying rapidly by.152 Without adoubt, if you see a cruise missile flying over your country, its high speed, small
size, and low altitude will prevent you from seeing its national air insignia. It’s
probably a safe bet that it is an enemy missile and the target is nearby.

Commercial and Private Use
National air insignia serves the same function for aircraft as does a stand ofcolors for a body of troops or a naval ship: to identify the nationality of amilitary unit. In theory, the U.S. national flag is protected from commercial
use and abuse by Title 36, United States Code, Sec. 176, para. (d). Although
the U.S. national air insignia is the air equivalent of the flag, it appears to have
150

Macknight, photos throughout. Stine, photo section. Apple and Gurney, 143153.
151
Macknight, 32.
152
Thomas B. Allen, F. Clifton Berry, and Norman Polmar, CNN: War in the Gulf
(Atlanta: Turner Publishing, 1991), 167.

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John H. Gámez

no such protection. In fact, the U.S. Air Force Historical Research Agency
knows of no prohibition on its use by commercial organizations or private
individuals.153
This is exemplified by many instances of use observed by the author. For
example, a privately owned Ford pickup truck was often seen during the mid1980s near Kelly AFB, Texas with the national air insignia applied to its whitecamper shell. Another user of the national air insignia is the company USA
Truck, based in Van Buren, Arkansas. It operates all-white tractor-trailers emblazoned with the full-color national air insignia over the company name.
The complete logo is displayed on the forward portion and on the rear of thetrailer and on the cab fairing facing forward.154 The logo is a registered trademark.155 These vehicles should not be confused with the white tractor-trailers
operated by the U.S. Air Force, which transport intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). They are marked with the full-color national air insignia andthe legend “U.S. AIR FORCE” on each side, and may be the only military
land vehicles authorized to bear the national air insignia.156
Of course, the most common private users are the owners of vintage military aircraft. Many of these aircraft are salvaged airframes that have been
meticulously restored, including the authentic markings used during theaircraft’s service life. An exception to this rule are some of the aircraft restored
aboard the museum ship U.S.S. Lexington (ATV-16) moored at Corpus Christi,
Texas. At least one “Phantom II” aircraft has a full-color air insignia in theproper positions and proportions except that the blue border is applied to thewhite bars but not to the roundel portion of the insignia (Plate 17).157
Even commercial adaptation occurs, such as in the “Ghosts” series of aviation publications. On the 1997 “Ghosts” vintage aircraft calendar, a goldbordered roundel of 1942-43 (Plate 17) forms the “O” in “GHOSTS”.158 The
Houston Aeros hockey club of the International Hockey League uses two ad153

A. Timothy Warnoch, chief of the Organizational History Branch, Air ForceHistorical Research Agency, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. Letter to the author, 29
May 1996.
154
Author’s observations.
155
The Trademark Register of the United States 1996, 38th ed. (Washington, D.C.:
The Trademark Register, 1996), 1829.
156
The Progressive Foundation, Inc., Nuclear Heartland (McFarland, Wisconsin:
Community publications, 1988), 19, 30.
157
Author’s observations aboard that ship.
158
Jean Makana, ed., Ghosts 1997: A Time Remembered (San Francisco, California:
Ghosts and Chronicle Books, 1996), 1997 calendar, logo on cover.

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Plate 17: Private Use of the U.S. Air Insignia

Restored “Phantom II” aircraft aboard
the U.S.S. Lexington museum ship
showing erroneous insignia.

Commercial virtual reality flight simulator
aboard the U.S.S. Lexington museum ship
showing erroneous insignia.
W/B/Y+“Ghosts” logo from the 1997 calendar.
B/W/B
R
W
B

Houston Aeros Hocky Club logo.

Lackland Federal Credit Union logo,
Lackland AFB, Texas.

W/B/W

R
W
R

Houston Aeros Hockey Club shoulder patch.
R/W/B

Logo of Alpha Industries, Inc.
W/B

W
R
W

W
R
W

Roundel of Fantasy Fightersof Santa Fe, New Mexico.

THC logo from a baseball cap.

108John H. Gámez

aptations of the of the national air insignia. The main logo is composed of a
B-17 bomber flying through a hockey puck with “HOUSTON AEROS” justabove the puck. The “O” on “AEROS” is the national roundel of 1942-43.
The shoulder logo on the game jersey is a variant of the present national air
insignia, composed of a blue roundel surcharged with a white five-point starof a smaller diameter. On each side of the roundel are two red horizontal bars
with a central white stripe, the whole surrounded by a white border placed ona green background (Plate 17).159 Aboard the U.S.S. Lexington museum ship,
three full-color national air insignia variants adorn a commercial virtual reality flight simulator ride. In this case, not only are the star and bar proportions
inaccurate, but the bars are composed of three red stripes and two white horizontal stripes (Plate 17).158 One of the more interesting derivatives of the national air insignia is the logo of Lackland Federal Credit Union, with corporate headquarters located on Lackland AFB, Texas, the site of the U.S. Air
Force’s largest training center. Its logo is a roundel charged with the initials“LFCU” and exaggerated asymmetrical horizontal bars of red, white, and blue
(Plate 17).161
The collapse of the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc nations was a
blessing to aircraft collectors. Previously unavailable aircraft, along with theirauthentic markings, are now in the hands of vintage aircraft collectors. Fantasy Fighters of Santa Fe, New Mexico, leases Eastern Bloc aircraft and trains
private pilots to earn FAA letters of authorization to fly high-performance jet
aircraft. One Fantasy Fighters plane, a Czech-built L-29 “Delfin” (U.S. civil
registration N3939L), uses a unique marking based on the national air insignia. It is a white roundel bearing a red hammer and sickle, white horizontal
bars with a red central stripe, surrounded by a blue border. Because the aircraft has a blue and white disruptive paint scheme, the insignia has no borderon the blue areas and on the white areas the border is added (Plate 17).162
The U.S. flag, because of its power and ubiquity, is often the target of
ridicule or sarcasm—for example, when the stars on the flag are replaced byskulls or marijuana leaves. In at least one instance the national air insignia isalso parodied in this manner. A company known as “THC” produces a line ofcounter-culture clothing and paraphernalia. Among these items is a baseball159

Tim Bryant, ed. 1996-97 International Hockey League Official Guide and Record
Book (Peoria, Illinois: Multi-Ad Services, Inc., 1996), 26, 50, 53.
160
Author’s observations.
161
Author’s observations.
162
Geza Szurovy, “Delfins and MiGs and Yaks, Oh My!”, Private Pilot (Irvine, California: Fancy Publications), January 1997, Vol. 32, No. 1, 22-29.

Evolution of the U.S. National Air Insignia

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cap with the national air insignia on the front. A white marijuana leaf (Cannabis sativa) replaces the white star (Plate 17). Stitched on the back of the cap
is the slogan “AIM HIGH…THC”.163 This parodies the U.S. Air Force’s recruiting slogan “Aim High…Air Force”. THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) is the active ingredient in marijuana.
In a final commercial example, the logo of Alpha Industries (a clothing
manufacturer) is a stylized letter “A” with three horizontal bars protrudingfrom each side (Plate 17), an obvious intent to emulate the national air insignia.164
One of the most popular genres of motion pictures is the military film.
The cooperation of the armed forces often ensures the use of actual aircraft
and their markings. Motion pictures such as Top Gun and The Hunt for Red
October and many others were able to film actual American military aircraft
and their markings. However, in some cases the U.S. armed forces, because of
a controversial theme, refuse to cooperate with Hollywood. In these films,
either through design or oversight, the U.S. national air insignia may be applied out of proper proportion or out of position.
In Independence Day, the national air insignia on the virtual and full-size
mockup F/A-18 “Hornet” fighters is not painted correctly165. In Iron Eagle
and Iron Eagle II, not only are the national air insignias the wrong colors on
the camouflaged F-16 “Fighting Falcons”, but they are placed on the upperand lower surfaces of both wings.166 In Hotshots, a parody of Top Gun, thenational air insignia is placed on the upper and lower surfaces of the rightwing only (as opposed to the upper left and lower right) and the insignias areplaced at 90˚ from the fuselage rather than along the 50% chord line.167

163
Author’s collection.
164
Author’s observations.
165

Independence Day. produced by Dean Delvin, directed by Roland Emmerich (Twentieth Century Fox, 1996, videocassette).
166
Iron Eagle, produced by Joe Wizan and Ron Samuels, directed by Sidney J. Furie(Tri Star Pictures, 1985, videocassette) and Iron Eagle II, produced by Jacob Hareland John Kemeny, directed by Sidney J. Furie (Carolco Pictures, 1988, videocassette). Both films were shot on location in Israel using re-marked Israeli Air Forceaircraft.
167
Hotshots, produced by Bill Badalato, directed by Jim Abrams (Twentieth Century
Fox, 1991, videocassette).

110John H. Gámez

Specifications
The construction of today’s national air insignia is based on the diameter ofthe roundel portion of the insignia. The diameter is measured in 5-inch(127mm) increments. Construction of the other elements of the insignia isbased on fractions of the roundel’s diameter. 168

The colors of the insignia are the following:169
Insignia Red .................. FS 11105
Insignia White .............. FS 17875
Insignia Blue ................. FS 15044

Conclusion
Military aviation, now over 200 years old, developed slowly in its first century,
while its second century brought rapid changes in technology. However, theneed for a fast and reliable means to identify military aircraft has remained aconstant. Cloth flags, initially the most common method on balloons, became obsolete in the transition to airplanes. The national air insignia, neveraltered in some countries, has evolved in the U.S. with the changing tacticalenvironment from 1861 to today.
168
Wheeler, Illustrated Guide to Aircraft Markings, 110.
169

Lloyd S. Jones, U.S. Bombers 1928 to 1980s (Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, 1980), 264.

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Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the following for their assistance in this project:
Staff Sergeant Michael J. Obert, USAF, historian, San Antonio Air Logistics
Center, Office of History, Kelly Air Force Base, Texas.
D. Menard, United States Air Force Museum, Wright-Patterson Air Force
Base, Ohio.
Regina G. Burns, Librarian, U.S. Army Aviation Museum, Fort Rucker, Alabama
A. Timothy Warnock, Organizational History Branch, Air Force Historical
Research Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.
… and Judith I. Gámez, for tolerating a house full of aviation books for extended periods, and for watching countless hours of aviation documentaries.